1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to identifying information stored in the surface of an article, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for determining whether an article contains predetermined surface deviations corresponding to a known quantity of information. Even more particularly, it relates to the collection of a recyclable article having point of sale information encoded in a surface of the article.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the increasing emphasis in recent years on environmental protection, the recycling of used beverage containers and other similar articles has become an important factor in the conservation effort. More specifically, the recycling of aluminum, glass and plastic containers has proven to be environmentally beneficial.
On the other hand, non-returnable containers for beverages and other goods are widely used because their cost has been less than the cost of recycling and/or cleaning reusable deposit containers and bottles. One significant effect of the widespread use of non-deposit containers has been increased litter in public places, and overflow of garbage dumps and landfills.
To combat litter and increase the amount of material that is recycled, several states have enacted mandatory "deposit laws" which require the use of containers having an added deposit cost. When the customer purchases a product in such a container, a container deposit, typically one to five cents, is added to the purchase price. After consumption of the product, the consumer can obtain a refund of the deposit by returning the empty container, often to the retailer, for recycling. The amount of the deposit may be adjusted to create an incentive for returning the container that is greater than the inconvenience in doing so. In these states, retailers generally collect the used containers and sell them to distributors or others who pay the retailer for the scrap value of the containers plus an amount to cover the retailer's handling costs.
Other states, cities, and countries have enacted mandatory curbside recycling programs, where consumers place recyclable beverage containers in bins at curbside for pickup and removal to recycling centers.
Since the high labor cost of processing recycled material often makes recycling uneconomic, especially for retailers, various automatic machines that accept material for recycling and issue deposit refunds have been proposed. These machines relieve the burdens on the grocery industry, and those who must collect the containers, pay the refunds, and store the returned articles.
Other recycling machines determine whether an inserted article is a "participating" article by using a laser scanner within the recycling machine to detect the presence of and read a barcode, or UPC. It is known to use a laser scanner having a low power laser emitter and a laser reader. The laser emitter of the laser scanner projects a light pattern across the surface of the inserted article which is received by the laser reader thereby reading the barcode. The inserted article is rotated to ensure that the laser scanner reads the barcode.
If the laser scanner does not detect a barcode on the inserted article, the article is rejected and is therefore a "nonparticipating article" which is returned to the consumer through the reject port. Further, if the laser scanner does detect and read a barcode but cannot match that barcode with a predetermined list of container barcodes, the inserted article is also rejected as a nonparticipating article.
The laser scanner rejects articles as nonparticipating if a barcode is not found in order to reject any nonrecyclable object which might be inserted into the assembly, thereby preventing mixture of recyclable articles with waste material, and also preventing damage to the assembly. The laser scanner also rejects objects without a barcode or with barcodes that cannot be matched because retailers and distributors of the containers are compensated for recycling and billed for the scrap value of the material through use of information obtained by reading the barcode. The proper credits and debits cannot be made if a barcode cannot be read and matched. Thus, a number of barcodes are placed in the memory of the laser scanner so that various different containers may be accepted.
If the laser scanner does detect, read and match a barcode, the article is a "participating article," and the article is densified and stored according to other information obtained by other devices. Typically, these other devices determine whether the inserted article consists of the correct material and weight. If not, the article is rejected.
Significant problems have been experienced with the recycling machines presently utilized in states with mandatory "deposit laws". Containers sold within a deposit state typically have the state name, the word "deposit" or "refund", and the amount of deposit on the surface of the container. For example, cans typically have this information either printed on or embossed in the top of the can. However, the recycling machines cannot distinguish between containers sold in a deposit state and containers that were not sold in a deposit state. Therefore, the machines store and pay for containers not entitled to a return deposit. It is desirable therefore to provide a recycling machine with the capability of determining whether a container is entitled to a deposit refund based on its point of sale.
More generally, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus for determining whether an article has a predetermined pattern of surface deviations corresponding to a known quantity of information. It is contemplated that such technology could expand the use of barcodes to provide additional information useful to the entire container industry, as well as the overall recycling industry.
Additionally, it is desirable to provide an article with a permanent quantity of information stored in the surface of the article.